By Atoyebi Nike
Prof. Usman Ibrahim, Provost of the Samaru College of Agriculture at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, says modern farming technology is key to addressing Nigeria’s food security challenges.
Speaking at the Brown Demo Field Day, where farmers observed the harvest of TELA maize, a high-yield hybrid developed with ECOBasic Seed, Ibrahim stressed the need for innovative agricultural methods to meet growing domestic and industrial demands.
The 70-day TELA maize, planted at the end of the 2025 rainy season, showed strong drought tolerance. Ibrahim called for greater investment in agricultural education and the establishment of more colleges of agriculture to train skilled professionals for modern farming.
“Achieving food security leaves no room for shortcuts. Farmers and stakeholders must adopt modern techniques to reach the level of sufficiency we aim for,” he said, noting that hybrid maize can enhance yields, resist pests, and increase farmers’ income.
Moses Atewogboye, Commercial Manager at ECOBasic Seed, encouraged Nigerian farmers to embrace hybrid seeds, highlighting the field day as a demonstration of the benefits of integrating technology into agriculture.
“Nigeria, as Africa’s giant, must lead in agricultural innovation,” Atewogboye said.
